A goal of naval engineering is to achieve higher speeds and achieve greater fuel efficiency. Usually this is achieved by reducing hydrodynamic drag in the water and one of the best known ways to do this is to decrease wetted surface of the hull which implies hydrodynamic lift is required.
Prior art on planing hulls achieve hydrodynamic lift by presenting a surface angled slightly upward to horizontal which forces water downward thereby creating hydrodynamic lift as the said hull moves forward through the water. This concept of hydrodynamic lift is proven only to work efficiently for relatively small watercraft with low displacement hulls. Presenting an inclined surface as the hull moves forward through the water has two components of force: the first component pushes water downward and results in a reactionary upward force on the said hull; the second component pushes water forward which creates a ‘bow wave’ which larger planing vessels are unable to climb over without massive amounts of propulsive power. In fact, propulsive power required to plane increases exponentially as hull displacement increases.
Large planing watercraft able to carry large payloads and capable of much higher speeds than any displacement craft would be of great economic benefit. However, large planing watercraft designs of prior art need to achieve high speeds in order to overcome the bow wave their hulls generate to be able to plane. These watercraft designs of prior art unfortunately cannot achieve the required speed unless they are already planing. The initial answer to this dilemma was the hydrofoil.
Although hydrofoils were once favoured to produce hydrodynamic lift for larger watercraft, the disadvantages associated with their use led to their decline in use over the years.